'The Hobbit' Holds On to #1; 'Django' & 'Les Misérables' Close Behind

Warner Bros. reports today that The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey grabbed another estimated $10.725 million on Friday, up nearly 6 percent from Thursday and 6.5 percent from its second Friday take last week. In 2007, I Am Legend declined 14.9 percent on the comparable Friday-to-Friday. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe similarly dropped 12 percent from its second Friday to its third Friday, although Christmas fell during its third weekend back in 2005 which does skew the comparison slightly.

The bump for The Hobbit was enough to maintain the film's hold on first place for a second straight day after yielding to Les Misérables on Tuesday and Wednesday. Through 15 days of release, The Hobbit has amassed an estimated $200.5 million. We're projecting a $32.5 million weekend, putting it on course to become the fifth film of 2012 to finish in first place for at least three weeks.

Django Unchained took in an estimated $9.67 million on Friday, up 16.5 percent from Thursday and bringing its domestic tally to an estimated $42.99 million after four days of release. That puts it slightly ahead of the pace of Inglorious Basterds which grossed $42.74 million in its first four days back in August 2009. Boxoffice.com is projecting a $29 million weekend.

Les Misérables grossed an estimated $9.4 million on Friday, a 2.5 percent increase from Thursday. The film's four-day cume is now an impressive $48.8 million. We're currently projecting a $28.6 million weekend for the musical. While the increase from Thursday appears small and indicates further front-loading by fans of the musical during the first few days of release, it is also noteworthy to mention the winter storm currently affecting the northeastern coast. While this could potentially affect any number of films, Les Mis in particular may be hit harder due to the nature of New York's sizable musical fan base.

Fox reports an estimated $5.05 million Friday for Parental Guidance, up nearly 22 percent from Thursday. That puts the family-centric comedy's domestic tally at $19.84 million through four days. The film should take in close to $14.8 million for the three-day weekend.